Schoolchildren enjoyed day of fun to celebrate achievements for special project

SCHOOLCHILDREN across the city enjoyed a day of fun to celebrate their achievements under a special project.

Agents of Change is a grassroots project aimed at providing children with the knowledge, understanding, and skills to help inform positive change in themselves, their community, and globally.

Designed to develop children’s voice, talents, and confidence in the impact they can have as global citizens, Agents of Change is equitable with school staff guiding and encouraging children inclusively to help them to flourish in a bespoken manner.

Busy - the event was inside Essex University's Essex Business School (Image: Agents of Change)

With a clear framework of passports, posters, badges and certificates, children work through projects based on their own passions.

Teaching - children enjoying a basketball session with the Essex Rebels (Image: Agents of Change)

Since its inception at St Lawrence Primary in 2021, it has now been rolled out to a further nine schools within the Tiptree and Stanway Consortium, with many more schools across the country looking to get involved.

Getting ready - preparing a Gazette outfit for the fashion show (Image: Agents of Change)

Pupils have featured in the news, bought acres of rainforest, created poetry about anti-racism, stories about gender identity, and art about the environment.

Outfit - showing off a Gazette-themed dress (Image: Agents of Change)

They have helped neighbours in need, learned to cook their favourite meal, donated coats and blankets to vulnerable members of their community, and spread positive messages to themselves, each other, and globally.

Applause - cheering on fellow pupils during the fashion shows (Image: Agents of Change)

To celebrate their achievements, a conference was held last week for pupils across the Tiptree and Stanway Consortium.

Brave - pupils enjoyed a workshop with television presenter and educator Skinny Jean Gardener aka Lee Connelly (Image: Agents of Change)

Held at the stunning Essex Business School, children accessed facilities across Essex University.

Working - children loved making wildflower seed bombs (Image: Agents of Change)

They were inspired by a talk with Will Hussey from The Art of Brilliance and also learned about sustainable fashion and cheered each other on during their own fashion shows with outfits made from newspapers donated by Colchester Gazette.

Pupils also enjoyed a workshop with television presenter and educator Skinny Jean Gardener aka Lee Connelly, where they learned about important ways we can help the environment, danced as they made wildflower seed bombs and were very brave in the face of holding a ‘bee’.

They had enormous fun playing basketball with coaches from the Essex Rebels and were finally made all made Agents of Change ‘ambassadors’ of their school.